This applicat1on invention relates to a building component. More particularly, this invention relates to a modular building component.
Over the past few years there has been an increasing emphasis on efficient use of raw materials in industry and particularly on the reduction of waste. As costs of production have continued to rise, it has become more important to ensure to as great an extent as possible total usage of inputs to production. It was in part this factor that led to the development of the present invention.
In the wood products industry the step of cutting wood to size for a particular purpose frequently results in leftover cuttings which are not readily suited for other uses. The cumulative effect is that there is a good deal of waste in both material and financial resources.
The present invention offers the potential to utilize some of this "waste" in a constructive manner.
Furthermore, there has arisen over the past few years great interest in the use of modular components which are capable of utilization in a variety of different ways. Any such standardization of manufacturing to allow multiple uses of a product is clearly advantageous for many reasons. Among these are the enhanced marketability of the products and the economy of manufacture of larger volumes of a single product. The present invention provides a multiple use building component which offers these advantages.
The present invention deals particularly with the utilization of relatively small pieces of lumber, some of which might otherwise have been waste cuttings, to construct a modular building unit having a wide range of uses. The modules are particularly adaptable, for example, to the manufacture for flooring for patios and decks, furniture, particularly of the type of outdoor use, and accent pieces such as planters, retaining walls and the like.